2000 AD Online Forum

I very rarely comment about the Megs, as they are far and away a lot more eclectic than 2000AD progs. I find that most months I can only like about two stories, be okay with one and not like the rest. But this month I find the perfect storm of stories I like!

I love Dredd's story and the reintroduction of our favourite gorilla judge Heston. That panel with the giant footprint in particular gave me chills. I also liked the shout out to a previous Judge Anderson story with the giant ape.

Lawless had been an okay story with a solid storyline and good art but this months instalment with the cathartic experience between Nerys and Hetch was very moving.

Devlin Waugh sometimes goes over my head with its obscure references to the occult, but this months episode was light on this and more centred on the two brothers' backstory coupled with a prolonged fight scene.

Cursed Earth Koburn: What else is there to say? It's Carlos Freakin' Ezquerra up to his usual high standard, and a great opening episode that hopefully starts another good story for his unconventional character.

Which takes us to Dredd vs Death. I had qualms about the introduction of such a supernatural entity into this version of Dredd's multiverse but this opening episode story along with Flint's excellently dark artwork dispelled those doubts. I don't want to spoil it but the last page is absolutely brilliant.

I would have to say this; find the time! The meg has been on a form that, as has been noted, the prog is lacking at present. Jake Lynch has produced a blinder of a cover. His colour artwork is definitely an order of magnitude greater than that he produced on some of the earlier Orlok stuff. He continues to impress with the Dredd strip and we have the first of a quality story.

Lawless continues to showcase the talents of both Abnett and Winslade. An interesting Freudian interlude into the depths of Pettifer interspersed with Lawson's calculations. In some respects it makes for a far more interesting episode, comparing and contrasting the two lead characters in the story. Especially when you consider how far Lawson has come since Insurrection.

Waugh continues this theme of the mechanisms that drive behaviour but perhaps less effectively. Dowling's art brings out the best in McConville's narrative but the sibling rivalry seems a bit overdone. May well work far better on a complete reading.

McConville does a far better job on Koburn; or is it the sublime pleasure of Ezquerra on art duty? Hard to tell but the core characters have an interesting dynamic; anal retentive, classic oppositionist and idealistic novice. Layered in with a familiar air of bigotry and a possible conspiracy. Hopefully McConville has something more interesting up his sleeve than the standard 'something rotten in the heart of Justice Dept' trope that we've been subjected to over recent years. Certainly a lot of promise but some reservations.

Wyatt and De Campi have however, certainly for my money, dispelled the notion that the Dark Judges might be an error for movie world Dredd. It must be a massive challenge to take one of the classic Dredd stories and reimagine it. The thought of Bolland's artwork combined with Wagner / Grant's story telling is a daunting challenge. Yet it works. There is a modern sensibility that allows for the potential reinvigoration of what has become a bit of a joke in recent years. The story telling has a subtlety to it, a maturity to it that the original possibly lacked. At the very least it hints at significant potential. Of course Flint on art again massively helps but if this is the final movie world Dredd strip then it is possibly going out on a high and presenting a massive argument for revisiting that decision.

For quite a while now the meg has consistently delivered. The quality of artwork, of story telling, the articles (arguably this month is an Adverorial for Ranson's Beatles volume but hey ho) all add up to what for me is the best value for money out of all my comic buys at present.

As an aside, the cover for the forthcoming Grey Area volume with it's pastiche of Farage's Brexit poster did make me laugh!

It occurs to me that as this is planned on being the final Movie-verse strip, and as the TV series means the Movie-verse is not likely to be built upon any further, that this story could potentially have the Dark Judges end up winning and killing Dredd.

That'd certainly be a twist – and a way of ending the Dredd universe (which, presumably would amusingly and ironically lead to Dredd 2 somehow happening).

As for the Meg, I've not bothered with the floppy, but liked most of the rest. Ape+Dredd is a great combo, Lawless continues to shine, and Koburn gets a good intro. I'm less convinced by Devlin Waugh. I'm not sure McConville has the voice right, and it's weird to see things that were always dangling in the background as flavour be the centrepiece for a strip. Some things are best left unseen and untold, and that's the feeling I get here.

It occurs to me that as this is planned on being the final Movie-verse strip, and as the TV series means the Movie-verse is not likely to be built upon any further, that this story could potentially have the Dark Judges end up winning and killing Dredd.

.

The idea of another creative team “killing Dredd” or “a Dredd” before Wagner & Ezquerra seems a bit perverse.

I love Dredd's story and the reintroduction of our favourite gorilla judge Heston. That panel with the giant footprint in particular gave me chills. I also liked the shout out to a previous Judge Anderson story with the giant ape.

Lawless had been an okay story with a solid storyline and good art but this months instalment with the cathartic experience between Nerys and Hetch was very moving.

Devlin Waugh sometimes goes over my head with its obscure references to the occult, but this months episode was light on this and more centred on the two brothers' backstory coupled with a prolonged fight scene.

Cursed Earth Koburn: What else is there to say? It's Carlos Freakin' Ezquerra up to his usual high standard, and a great opening episode that hopefully starts another good story for his unconventional character.

Which takes us to Dredd vs Death. I had qualms about the introduction of such a supernatural entity into this version of Dredd's multiverse but this opening episode story along with Flint's excellently dark artwork dispelled those doubts. I don't want to spoil it but the last page is absolutely brilliant.

Well done guys.

All of this ^^^^

And even I am liking the D'eath story, Flint work is stunning but doesn't detract but adds to the gloom and menace, something the painterly work of Deadworld has been missing (IMHO), I'm hoping the GRennie droid is kind over the takeover of CE Coburn stories and has given this his blessing.

Oh my giddy Aunt isn't the Meg on blindin' form at the moment. Wow that was good - I even loved the all to short ending to Wagner's Walk, but then I'd enjoyed what I'd read up to that point so much I was disposed to having a positive attitude!

The new Dredd story feature the return of not one but two apes (I suspect) is just great fun, a total delight and I'm not being funny but Jake Lynch just gets better and better and the art is sublime. One thing though am I meant to know the ape at the end?

Then we get to Lawless. How the hell does this greatest of comic strips find ways to get better and better. Just quite supreme, Abnett and Winslade are just knocking it out the park. Genius. Don't know if it was deliberate (I'd guess it was but what do I know) but page 7 of the strip, the one where Dredd appears is just so Dave Sim and Gerhard and seems to come straight from the pages of Cerebus with all the glory of Gerhard's painstaking background. Glorious. The two storylines bouncing around the rigor of law and the practicality of necessity is played just as well. This stuff just blows me away. Oh and that cliffhanger! We've been waiting for that!

Love Devlin Waugh to continues to be great and has a blindin' episode with a great ending too. McConville - who seems to own the Meg at the moment - has another superb story in Cursed Earth Coburn - the interplay between the characters being the star until another fantastic ending - fantastic.

So its all been about great endings then so fitting we should end with another as the Movie Dredd story has a blinder to. The story getting there is a little more steady than the rest but its far from bad and definately enhanced by some fantastic (as ever) Henry 'Mr 2000ad' Flint art. Good stuff.

Quick question to save me digging out my back issues. How was it left with Harry Heston at the end of his previous appearance? I don’t remember him being in a position where he could be working for the Judges given Dredd’s attitude to him.

I'm now so into Lawless it hurts. Have dug out my back issues to read the whole bloody lot while herself is on nights AND bought myself some reading glasses that HAVE LIGHTS ON THEM so as to be able to read through the night, without having to lay down the other end of the bed. That was probably more information about the geography and lighting of our bedroom than you needed to know, I apologise. Heston! Love him! Movie Death (well, almost)! Love it! Devlin! Top stuff! Confirm! Ah, bliss! This is the best the Meg has been in years. May even start buying my eldest a copy. SBT

Quick question to save me digging out my back issues. How was it left with Harry Heston at the end of his previous appearance? I don’t remember him being in a position where he could be working for the Judges given Dredd’s attitude to him.

Can anyone enlighten me?

He aided Dredd after a bunch of perps escaped from a Cursed Earth prison in a Meg story last September-ish!!

Quick question to save me digging out my back issues. How was it left with Harry Heston at the end of his previous appearance? I don’t remember him being in a position where he could be working for the Judges given Dredd’s attitude to him.

Quick question to save me digging out my back issues. How was it left with Harry Heston at the end of his previous appearance? I don’t remember him being in a position where he could be working for the Judges given Dredd’s attitude to him.

Can anyone enlighten me?

Maybe it'll work this time - SMF posted everything but the spoiler (which was my whole post!).

Quick question to save me digging out my back issues. How was it left with Harry Heston at the end of his previous appearance? I don’t remember him being in a position where he could be working for the Judges given Dredd’s attitude to him.

Can anyone enlighten me?

Maybe it'll work this time - SMF posted everything but the spoiler (which was my whole post!).

Picked up the Meg for the first time in a while, out of interest in Movieverse Death. I enjoyed it a lot. Plenty of other good stuff in there, too, especially the lead Dredd story. I'll probably be back for more next month.

I don't often read the floppy if it is stuff I have read before, but I an exception for Outlier.

I remember it getting a fairly negative reaction on this Forum at the time, and really I don't see why.

I think of it as a an updated, more sophisticated take on the kind of serial 2000AD used to do. Just compare it stuff like Project Overkill, Shako, even stuff like Return to Armaggedon (stands back and waits for Colin to come and completely disagree) and it is way better in every regard - more cohesive plot, less reliant on convenient items lying around, fantastic art.

It also features a really cool villain, who it turns out isn't a villain at all, rather a victim.

I mean really, what's not to like?

The other thing, as others have said, is this is a fairly recent thrill, so it feels very soon to be getting the floppy treatment, especially as we have all that stuff Rebellion has acquired. But I guess that takes time to put together, where as this was presumably much easier, being readily available in digital format.

The first episode was actually almost 4 years ago. In the same Prog was the first episode of Slaine: The Brutannia Chronicles. Pretty much tells you everything you need to know about what is wrong with Slaine these days...the absolutely glacial pace. In that time all that has happened is Slaine has met Sinead, had run ins with Gododin and Archon and had a couple of flash backs about his parentage. And that's pretty much it...in 4 years.

There is a modern sensibility that allows for the potential reinvigoration of what has become a bit of a joke in recent years.

I'd dispute that - Death and the DJs have certainly been a joke for a good few decades - from post-Necropolis up to Chaos Day, I can't think of a 'serious' story in that time, but CD onwards have restored some of the menace to the character/s. So I'd rephrase that to "a bit of a joke in recent decades, though rehabilitated in recent years".

Don't know if it was deliberate (I'd guess it was but what do I know) but page 7 of the strip, the one where Dredd appears is just so Dave Sim and Gerhard and seems to come straight from the pages of Cerebus with all the glory of Gerhard's painstaking background.

My first response to this seems to have been eaten by the internet, so better luck this time (and apologies if it pops up once I've posted it) - page 4, frame 7 (Hetch with MC-1 in flames in the background) seems very Gerhardy to me, while page 6, frame 6 (Pettifer falling down the well of souls) has a very Simish look on the faces of those surrounding the falling judiciary. Page 7 reminds me of the Mind Games issues of Cerebus (even though there weren't Gerhard backgrounds on those) but with a Gerhard pile of lawbooks / wooden buildings look on everything.